Like bread and cheese? Thank fungus!

Picnics wouldn’t be picnics without fungus. Bread, cheese and salami all incorporate our fungal friends!


Is mold alive? A look at fascinating fungus

Molds and fungi have been responsible for everything from medicines to that mystery that’s been in your fridge for too long. This episode looks at how the kingdom of fungus thrives.


Is time travel possible?

Who hasn’t dreamed of going to the past or taking a peek into the future? This episode takes a look at the ins and outs of time travel. 


Mystery Sound Extravaganza 2021

How many Mystery Sounds can you guess? How many can you handle?!?


What's that you hear? That's right, It's an episode of nothing but mystery sounds! Are your ears up to the challenge? Plus, we'll hear an answer to the question: "How do squirrels find their nuts after they bury them?"
If you'd like to submit a mystery sound, you can share it with us here: brainson.org/contact
And you can support the show at brainson.org/fans
You can also buy our book, complete with Mystery Photos, at brainson.org/shop or at your favorite local bookstore

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Dino Edition: How do we know what dinosaurs looked like?

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What's in the COVID vaccine?

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In this episode, we're using our zoom ray to zoom way in and answer your questions about the COVID vaccine. What's in the COVID vaccine? How does it work? And how do they make it? We'll also look at how our fight against the new coronavirus has had a huge impact on another virus: influenza. And, we'll head to a stadium to learn what 95% effective means for a vaccine. (Warning: There are seagulls overhead!)

Plus, we'll have a brand new mystery sound and a Moment of Um that answers the question: what do scientists eat in Antarctica?

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Brains On: Waves, wind, tides and moon

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Meet Gitanjali Rao, Time Magazine's first-ever Kid of the Year

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Why is it so hard to break a habit?

If habits are really stuck, we don't think much about them -- we just do them! Some habits are good (like brushing your teeth in the morning) and others are not so good (like biting your nails). Today we find out what parts of our brains help us form habits and why it's actually super useful to not have to think so hard about everything. 


Smash Boom Best: Flowers vs Rainbows

We’ll be back with new episodes in January. But we wanted to share another show with you that we’ve been working on -- Smash Boom Best.


We’ll be back with new episodes in January. But we wanted to share another show with you that we’ve been working on -- Smash Boom Best!

It’s a debate show where we take two cool things, smash them together and let you decide which one is best. Today we’re going to share with you an excerpt from a heated, fierce debate featuring our very own Sanden Totten.

Sanden is repping team flowers and our good friend Joy Dolo, host of Forever Ago, is repping team rainbows.  To hear the rest of the debate, find Smash Boom Best wherever you listen to podcasts. There are over 30 debates ready for your binge listening this holiday season! Play along at home by yourself -- or with your family! You can find score sheets and other fun stuff at smashboom.org

INTERVIEWER: Hello, friends. We are going to be back with new episodes in January, but we wanted to share another show with you that we've been working on Smash Boom Best. It's a debate show where we take two cool things, smash them together, and then let you decide which one is best. 

This season, we've done matchups like ice cream versus French fries, blue whales versus giant squids, and today, we're going to share with you an excerpt from a heated, fierce debate featuring our very own Sanden Totten, flowers versus rainbows. Sanden is repping team flowers and our good friend Joy Dolo, host of Forever Ago, is repping team rainbows. We're also joined by teen judge, Harriet, who will decide which team will win this beautiful and colorful showdown. So enjoy this taste of Smash Boom Best 

SUBJECT: Smash Boom Best. 

INTERVIEWER: We did a coin flip and Joy. You are up first. Let's hear your declaration of greatness for rainbows. 

JOY DOLO: I've got a great story for you. It's about a girl named Dorothy and her dog Toto. She sings this beautiful song somewhere over the flower. Nope, that was a rainbow. Well, what about the famous Irish myth that there is a pot of gold at the end of a flower? Rainbow too. OK, OK. For real this time. For real, you guys. Stop it. I got it. This hip guy, Noah, took animals into an Ark, and after it rained for a long time, they knew the storm was over because they saw a flower in the sky. No, no way. It's a rainbow again, of course. 

Now, I'm all for flower power, but if we're talking about the best of all time, there is no comparison. It's like comparing chocolate to broccoli, or a beach to homework, or winning the lottery to sloppy wet kisses from your aunt Pam. Oh stop it, I'm 33. Although aunt Pam's overt affection can't be scientifically explained all the time, rainbows can be. 

Here is the freaky, freaky breakdown. When white light enters a water droplet, it slows down, bends and splits apart into seven colors, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, otherwise known as ROYGBIV. And when each of those colors shoots out of the water droplet, the sun reflects those colors into our eyeballs and creates the rainbow that we see. 

With the power of hip hop, do you see how cool a rainbow is? And there's more. Rainbows are optical illusions. That means they're magic. Well, kind of. Rainbows are just a bunch of reflections. Sunlight bounces through water droplets and reflects into our eyes. So when we move around, the reflection we see changes. That's why there is no end to the rainbow. 

SUBJECT: I can't see anything. 

JOY DOLO: Open your eyes, Pam. 

SUBJECT: Oh. 

JOY DOLO: See, Pam, rainbows are gorgeous. 

SUBJECT: They are pretty, but there is only one kind. Flowers have a variety. 

JOY DOLO: Pam, have you been hanging out with Sanden? That is not the case. There are double rainbows, moon bows made from moonlight, fog bows made from fog or mist, and white bows that have no color. You can even create a rainbow at home with a flashlight and a glass of water. It's called an indoor bow. An indoor bow. It was funny in my head. 

Oh, and ready for the icing on top? Rainbows are actually full circles. While we are on the ground, we can only see a portion of this illusion. But if you're in a tall building, a plane, or on a mountain for some reason, you can see the whole thing. No wonder rainbows rule the skies and flowers are way down below, begging for our colorful water droplets like orphans from the cast of Oliver. Please, sir, May I have some more? 

Different cultures have been trying to translate rainbows special meaning since the beginning of time. Aboriginal Australians, who have some of the oldest religious beliefs in the world, believe rainbows are caused by a rainbow serpent sent by their enemies to stop the rain. Ancient Greeks and Romans believed rainbows were the messenger god Iris, and in Japanese and Norse myths, rainbows were thought to be a bridge between the gods and the Earth. 

In Western culture, the 1960s hippies used rainbows as a symbol to spread the message of peace and love, followed shortly by the LGBTQIA plus movement using the rainbow as a flag. No wonder rainbows are seen as a sign of peace and hope. Its mysterious powers have been spreading love and solidarity for centuries, especially for me. 

The world is really tense right now, and I'm feeling it. The pandemic is keeping us indoors. Protests for justice are sweeping the world. It can all be very scary. And I'm not going to lie, I spent a lot of time in my garden with my flowers. One day was extra hard, so I went for a walk with my dog, Didi. 

As we walked around the lake, I looked up and saw a rainbow. I was so surprised. I took out my phone, I took pictures. I talked to the people on the path about how beautiful it was. I instantly felt at peace and connected with these strangers while we witnessed this phenomenon. I love my flowers, but when it comes to the greatest of all time, rainbows will always get my eyes. 

INTERVIEWER: You really put a very lovely bow on that declaration of greatness, Joy. Harriet, did Joy's declaration make an impression? What stood out to you about her argument? 

SUBJECT: That was absolutely wonderful. I really loved how she's not trying to diminish the other team, but she's saying rainbows have a specialness and a sweetness that flowers don't have. 

SANDEN TOTTEN: I hear that. It's like-- 

INTERVIEWER: I'm sure you do. 

SANDEN TOTTEN: It's like almost that flowers are being overlooked for how they deliver every single day. 

INTERVIEWER: OK, Sanden. Well, you have time for your rebuttal. You've got 30 seconds to wield that flower power, and your time starts now. 

SANDEN TOTTEN: Harriet, I think you bring up a great point. Rainbows are really cool in concept, but they're often so faint and a lot of them are super rare. It's kind of like grading on potential, which is a total rainbow move to be asked to be graded on a curveball, which is unfair because flowers show up and bring us beauty and love all the time, all over the world, every day. There even in Antarctica. And they're showing up and doing the work and still manage to capture attention on a daily basis. That's real talent. Also, you brought up songs that have rainbows in them. There are so many flower songs, kiss from a Rose, Every Rose has a Thorn. 

INTERVIEWER: Time. I would like to hear you break into song, but I'm sorry we have-- 

SANDEN TOTTEN: Every rose has a thorn. 

JOY DOLO: Just like every rainbow is in the sky. 

SANDEN TOTTEN: Head in the clouds, Joy. You got your head in the clouds. 

JOY DOLO: That's where I belong, baby, up in the clouds. 

SANDEN TOTTEN: Well, Harriet, I think I got a great story for you coming right up 

SUBJECT: I can't wait. 

INTERVIEWER: All right, Sanden. It is time for your declaration. Let's hear why blossoms are the best. 

SANDEN TOTTEN: Flowers aren't just pretty. They're drop dead gorgeous. And there are so many kinds. They can be used to say I love you or for medicine or even as art, or you get-- OK, OK, I'm getting carried away because I've got flower fever. And I'm not alone. Let me tell you a story. 

[MUSIC PLAYING] 

It starts when inky black night in Lancashire, England. A thief slipped past the security at the famous silverdale golf course. The crook wasn't after cash or jewels or art. They wanted something much more valuable. And they got it. 

SUBJECT: No, we've been robbed. 

SUBJECT: Get the police, get the press, and get a chair. I'm fainting. 

SANDEN TOTTEN: What treasure did they take? A flower, an ultra rare lady slipper orchid, one of the last of its kind growing in nature. Cuttings from this Crimson and yellow beauty sell for thousands of dollars on the black market. Luckily, some of the plant was left behind. To keep it safe, it was eventually assigned its own private guard because those are some VIPs, Very important petals. 

This isn't the first time we've flipped out over flowers. In the 1600s, people in the Netherlands were obsessed with tulips. Some cost more than a whole house. In the early 1900s, orchid hunters risked life and limb searching jungles for these incredible plants. Proof that we'll go to great lengths for fantastic flowers. 

Part of the allure is the variety. Rainbows, I guess there's some variation, but for the most part, it's just that same old tired pattern, blah, blah, blah, ROYGBIV, whatever. That's nothing compared to flowers. I mean, you've got roses, daisies, daffodils, dahlias, sunflowers, peonies, lilies, lilacs. No matter who you are, there's a flower for you. 

SUBJECT: So what if I want something like far out and trippy? 

SANDEN TOTTEN: Try a passion fruit flower. It looks like a purple sun with a yellow and maroon propeller bursting right out of it 

SUBJECT: Mondo bizarro. 

SANDEN TOTTEN: I know right? 

SUBJECT: What about me? I'm Goth. Colors aren't my thing. 

SANDEN TOTTEN: Like that heavy, dark cloak you're wearing, flowers have you covered? Check out the black bat flower. 

SUBJECT: Wow, it's got dark wing shaped petals and little pods that look like trumpets. Trumpets that sound the call of eternal night that will bathe this world in darkness and soothe my cold black heart. 

SANDEN TOTTEN: Sure. 

SUBJECT: Hi, what about me? I only like monkeys. If it's not a monkey, I don't like it. 

SANDEN TOTTEN: OK, very specific request, but check this out. 

[MUSIC PLAYING] 

SUBJECT: Wow, is that a flower with a tiny monkey face in it. I love it. 

SANDEN TOTTEN: Yeah, that's the monkey face orchid. These are all real flowers, and they're all really amazing. 

SUBJECT: Yeah, I've never seen a rainbow with a monkey face in it and I only like monkeys. 

SANDEN TOTTEN: OK, we get it. You only like monkeys. OK, where was I? Oh, yeah, flowers also have special medicinal compounds. Take rosy periwinkle. It's long been used in traditional medicines, but scientists have also used it to develop powerful canceR-fighting drugs. I can't think of any life saving drugs made from rainbows. Oh, right, because they don't exist. And that's a flower flex 

Flowers also have mood boosting benefits. A study from Rutgers University found that flowers made people happier than other gifts like fruit baskets or candles, and that happiness lasted several days. Scientists in Japan found some flowers have stress busting scents. 

So why would we evolve to get so much pep from petals? Maybe because they're tied to food. By that I mean pretty much any fruit, nut, or vegetable you eat, like apples, almonds, peaches, broccoli, watermelons, mangoes, walnuts, tomatoes, lettuce, cauliflower and wheat, they all come from flowering plants. Angiosperms, that's the sciencey name for plants with flowers, make up around 80% of all plant life on Earth. Lots of animals and insects also look to flowers for food. So they're low key heroes of the entire Earth ecosystem. 

But I think my favorite thing is how we use flowers to express our feelings. Like when someone's sick, you give them a "get well" bouquet. On a first date, bring roses. Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, anniversaries, all celebrated with flowers. But flowers can also be art. In Japanese culture, people make abstract sculptures using just a few carefully selected flowers, leaves, and branches. It's called ikebana. And when you look at these minimalist arrangements, you feel a kind of peace. 

JOSE SALCEDO: You have a lot of negative space. You have areas where the viewer's eye can rest. 

SANDEN TOTTEN: That's Jose Salcedo. He teaches ikebana in Los Angeles. Jose says these arrangements eventually wilt, but that's part of their message. 

JOSE SALCEDO: I've had students come up to me and say, well, that flower only lasted a day. And my response is, well, I hope you appreciated it. That for a day, you were able to enjoy that flower because you'll never see that flower again. 

SANDEN TOTTEN: It's like that saying, stop and smell the roses. It's about enjoying the things you have right now because nothing lasts Forever. But flowers also bloom again in spring. They are a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth Forever and right now, all wrapped up in this one precious thing. So Yeah, I've got flower fever, but I am not looking for a cure. 

INTERVIEWER: Wow very lovely. Well, let's see if flower fever is contagious. What did you think about that one, harriet? What stood out to you about Sanden's declaration of greatness? 

HARRIET: What I really liked was how flower's points was really the diversity of specialness. So a gift, a get well soon. 

INTERVIEWER: Very good observations. Joy, it is now rainbow rebuttal time. Let's hear you poke some holes in Sanden's tribute to flowers. You have 30 seconds and your time starts now. 

JOY DOLO: So here's the thing, rainbows are specific to the person, right, because it goes directly into our eyeballs. So literally every single rainbow you see is different from the one that the person next to you will see. I think that's a very specific thing that flowers cannot have. 

And speaking of flowers, there are so many different flowers and there's a few different rainbows, right? But if you go to a restaurant and the menu is small and petite, usually they do things really well. Those restaurants that have huge menus, they don't know what they're making. Do you want a burger? Do you want pizza? Do you want a hot dog? Do you want a hot cocoa? You don't know what you're going to get. 

INTERVIEWER: Time 

SANDEN TOTTEN: All those delicious foods, many of which brought to you by flowers. 

JOY DOLO: Yeah. Once they figure out how to grow, they take six months or cauliflower. 

SANDEN TOTTEN: The best things in life are worth waiting for. 

INTERVIEWER: To hear the rest of the debate find Smash Boom Best wherever you listen to podcasts. There are over 30 debates ready for your binge listening this holiday season. Play along at home, by yourself or with your family. You can find score sheets and other fun stuff at smashboom.org. We'll be back with more Brains On in January. Stay safe and high fives. 

[MUSIC PLAYING] 



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